Making Salad

     Two of my cherubs decided to make salad one afternoon recently.  Bringing their play dishes and utensils into the living room corner, they proceeded to "trim" the maidenhair fern.  It had been one of those challenging plants to coax into lush beauty and was doing very well.  Well, it is now half-lush and has quite a few black slender stalks sticking straight up.  Walking into the room, I caught my breath, and went blank.  What does one say?  Hmmm.  Listening to the cherubs giggle and serve their salad to each other was quite the scene to behold and left me speechless.   I'm thinking we children of God enjoy quite a few things that cause our Father to wince.   Our earthly choices sometimes reveal our immaturity, even though we enjoy making "salad".  What is so amazing to me, is our Lord's patience with us!  He doesn't yank us back or yell at us or discipline us all the time.  He teaches us through His Word, He draws us by His lovingkindness, He understands that we are but a flower fading.  As we grow in Christ's love, sometimes we look back and wince at the salad we played with.  Let us be patient with those who are still making "salad".  We were there once.  And today we are making a new "salad", just a bit different from the one we made 10 or 20 years ago.  But it is still "salad" to God.  I guess the challenge here for me is to humble myself and realize that my Lord is patient with me, and so I should be toward others.  I grabbed a garbage bag,  gathered up the remnants of the fern, and went to play with the cherubs.                                                           K.C.

"Mulching"

 

     Yup, this is a pile of mint compost.  Can't ya smell it?  Our massive flowerbeds and garden are starting to feel the smother of compost.  And it takes yards and yards of compost to even make a dent.
Yet, when it is applied to the beds, the difference is incredible!  Compacted soil once again becomes rich and grows trees and plants quadruple what they would have been without it.  Common soil will grow plants, but they will be stunted and will not spread out with growth and beauty. Seeds will sprout in common soil but will burn up in compost.  Compost is not applied until after the plants start growing.

     In the Gospels Jesus talked about sowing seed on good soil in order to yield a crop.  I think the thirty, sixty, hundredfold yield had to do with compost.  The one who hears the Word and understands it bears fruit and produces. Young plants don't just automatically grow and neither do Jesus followers.   Our Lord "mulches" us out of His lovingkindness.  The more we understand how the Word penetrates our very inner being to bring nutrients to our souls, the more we receive correction from the presence of the Word in our hearts, the more we embrace difficulty as our friend placed there out of love, the more we will grow in Christ Jesus with gratefulness.  "Mulching" is just what we need though sometimes it feels heavy and heats up, stinks or takes time to work.  While patiently waiting on the Lord to do His deep work in strengthening our roots, we learn to love Jesus and trust His wisdom and grace.  How is Jesus "mulching" you?                                    K.C.

What is holding onto you?

     Such a beautiful quiet, peaceful scene we enjoy each day!  Especially since the horses are not ours.  Neighbors use our pasture, and we get to enjoy the scene without the work.  We were sitting at dinner with some of our granddaughters watching the horses.  All of a sudden Cicily noticed there was a bucket tied to the leg of one horse.  Within 30 seconds of that comment chaos ensued.  The horse started running around the pasture on high alert!  Two rounds and then it raced right through the fence flattening the woven wire and ramming a T-post down flat!  Down the drive and onto the main road the horse barreled!  The bucket came off and cars stopped and the horse finally came to a halt.  Whew!  What an evening!  It is a miracle that the horse wasn't killed or terribly hurt, but wounds and scratches were all that it suffered.  We are beginning to wonder what next week holds for another animal story. 

     This story, though, gave us a picture to ponder.  God has provided us forgiveness from sin through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Sin made us enemies to God, but His love and grace has brought us near to Him.  He brings peace and works healing in us giving us new life and new desires.  Sometimes, though, we choose our old ways and turn back to things that we think will fulfill us, tying that bucket to our soul.  God's mark for us is pictured in the pasture - beauty, peace, quiet, safety, fulfillment. 

     But we miss His mark when we turn from His ways.  Missing the mark is sin, and it cuts our closeness to our Heavenly Father.  When we allow sin to continue in our lives  until it grabs a firm hold of us, we suffer unimaginable consequences.  Seldom do we think about the cost of sin and the wild driven ride that will force us from that peaceful pasture.  Jesus set us free, and yet we allow ourselves to be tied to sins which cause havoc in our lives. Secret, small, big,  hidden, or open;  any sin held onto is like that bucket tied to your soul; it steals your freedom and joy.  Is the sin of complaining stealing your freedom?  How about savoring a different life?  A grudge you are holding?  Think more seriously about the consequences of holding that sin dear to your heart.  Think about the quiet, shady, peaceful pasture Jesus has provided for you instead.  Let go of that sinful hold which binds you.  I read a quote on my daughter's blackboard that I have been thinking about this week in light of these thoughts:

                  "The good life, the one that truly satisfies, exists only when we stop
                    wanting a better one.  It is the condition of savoring what is, rather
                    than longing for what might be."                         (Chuck Swindoll)
                                                                                                                                                      K.C.

Visitors

We've had visitors this week.  Wildlife week!  Sitting in the breakfast nook, suddenly seeing ducklings crossing the yard brought us to life.  Grabbing the camera and running out to capture the moment in the crisp morning air we were disappointed as the ducklings crossed into the field out of camera range.

 

    Turning back toward the house, suddenly a lone duckling came right toward me peeping loudly.  He joined his siblings who were calling him from the field, and then mommy came down the        driveway calling her babies to her side.  The ducklings were only too glad to hear mommy's voice and follow her back to safety and protection.  Watching the scene unfold brought some thoughts to my mind about my "hearing".  In Hebrews 3 and 4, God says, "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."  John 10:3 - 4 says, "...the sheep hear His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice."  Do we quickly follow the leading of Jesus?

     Or do we have to be driven and chased to follow His voice like the next visitors a few days later?

 

 

     Our next visitors were two escaped llamas barreling down the driveway ahead of their owners.  The next hour held quite the chase!  These llamas were intent on running from, not toward, their master.  Hearing the voice of their master increased their running to and fro, through the garden, through the field, around the woodlot - anywhere but toward their master.  Is this sometimes how we treat Jesus when He calls?  Do we resist and go our own way, trying every avenue but His?  Oh, how we are missing the rest and peace He is desiring to give us!  Instead, we frantically try to fix our problems, increase our pace, and just run at high speed, when all the while Jesus is waiting to give us rest.  I think this is why Hebrews 4:11 exhorts us to be diligent to enter the rest.

 

 

     Finally, Adam roped the biggest and most belligerent llama after a circus of chase around the wood.  Whew!  Do I really want Jesus to have to harness me with bit and bridle, like the horse or mule which have no understanding and will not come near? (Psalm 32:9)  Rather, "I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace..."

     What a contrast in "hearing" and what an illustration to us this week!  I don't want anything to come between me and my Savior.   Lord Jesus, I don't want you to have to rope me in,  When You speak I want to be like those disciples on the road to Emmaus.  "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"                     K.C.

    

 

                                                                                                                            

 

 

Thirsty?

The battle of hoses!  Hoses look so calm and orderly when hung up - but, in use they can be outright rebellious and difficult!  And frustrating!  Have you ever been hit in the head or face while dealing with a hose that wanted to go its own way?   Building good habits in a hose takes patience, persistence, and practice.  It's like one has to train the hose.  New hoses, especially, are stiff and not pliable, often not wanting to curl in the right direction.  Reminds me of a lot of things in life, and also about Jesus working in me.  Learning to know Jesus is a lot like learning to deal with hoses.  God has to work in us, with us, and for us.  He has to train me to listen to His voice. To get to know Jesus means that I must spend time with Him in His Word.  I am a lot like that hose and need patience, persistence, and practice in God's Word.  I can give God difficulty by letting life take hold of me.  The battle is raging against me, and when those worrisome  thoughts, sleepy mind early in the morning, daily cares and tasks, etc. try to take over, God reminds me that the MOST important thing in my life is to love Him, learn to know Him, lean on Him, and live for Him.  Psalm 143:6, 8 speak my heart.  "I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land.....Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust;  cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You."  Oh Lord Jesus, I long to have your living water flow through me!  I am that rebellious hose in great need of Your good hand to tame me so that Your water can flow through me.  Thank You for never giving up on me and leaving me in a messy pile, like I sometimes leave my hoses because of my impatience.  I praise You for Your lovingkindness to me.  I praise You for Your Word that teaches me about Your greatness.  I thirst for You -  let the water flow!         K.C.                                                                                                                  

Fresh Growth

Beautiful fresh growth!  Beautiful creation!  Beautiful change!  We are looking for fresh growth and continuing change in our hearts as we follow our Lord Jesus Christ.  Our women at CBC have as their purpose in life:

LOVING the God of the Word

LEARNING the Word of God

LEANING on the character of God

LIVING in light of God's Word
 

As we grow in this purpose, it affects every relationship with the presence of our Lord.  We long for the fragrance of our Lord Jesus to penetrate not only our lives but also those around us.  Our Lord Jesus has made us all very different, and yet we need each other.  The graceful lilac in this picture would not be nearly as striking if the perky chives were not there creating a contrast.  And so it is with each of us.  God's handiwork is shown in much variety through His creation and through us.  You never know what beauty God will create in you when you grow and learn together.  We are so grateful for God's Word that teaches us His wonderful lovingkindness sought us for fellowship so that we can live in fellowship together.  Keep asking for fresh growth in your heart!                K.C.